


Requiem for a Tuesday

by monsterleadmehome



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, F/M, Mutual Pining, The Parks and Rec AU no one asked for
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:48:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22590493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monsterleadmehome/pseuds/monsterleadmehome
Summary: Rey Knope dreams of being President someday. But first, she'll have to navigate the political swamp that is the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana. Can her dreams survive even when the State sends down two auditors to review their budget?
Relationships: Finn/Rose Tico, Kylo Ren/Rey, Poe Dameron/Armitage Hux, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 58
Kudos: 98





	1. Budget Cuts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LovesBitca8](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LovesBitca8/gifts).



> HAPPY (EARLY) BIRTHDAY, ROOMIE! I hope you enjoy this silly AU that I have talked your ear off about. Of course, I couldn't do Benslie Reylo justice in just one chapter, so strap in and enjoy the ride. 
> 
> Many thanks to [JenfysNest](https://twitter.com/ancientcityjenn) for beta-ing!

Luke Skywalker has lived in Pawnee, Indiana all his life. He was born there, raised there, and will most likely die there. It’s quite possibly his favorite place in the world—except for Muncie where he and his beautiful wife of thirty years, Mara Jade, visit annually.

He’s held the same job at City Hall for longer than he’s been married, and he still loves that, too. He especially loves the people he works with. His boss, Han Solo, is one of his oldest friends. The second in command, Reyleigh Knope, is a bright and ambitious young woman who he respects a lot.

His other coworkers are fine, too, but— 

In the middle of his ruminating, Luke pushes the door to the department a little too hard and as it bounces back, his matcha latte falls out of his hands and splatters all across the floor. “Oh geez,” he says.

“Luuuuke!” Mitaka starts laughing riotously and points at him.

Phasma rolls her eyes from behind her desk and returns to whatever she was doing on her smartphone.

Hux sneers. “Nice job, Skywalker.”

Luke just nods and goes to set his stuff down before grabbing some paper towels, but in doing so, slips in the spilled green liquid and falls straight on his ass. Everyone in the office laughs. 

Han comes barreling out of his office, wearing a frown. “What in the name of all that is good and holy is going on out here? I was trying to get nothing done!”

“Sorry, Han,” Luke mumbles as he struggles to his feet. He’s getting too old to keep falling like this. Retirement is starting to sound like a good idea.

* * *

Reyleigh Knope—just Rey to everyone around, no one calls her Reyleigh except her Aunt Qi’ra who raised her, and is the reason that she can’t shake her slight British accent—walks into the office to find Luke on his hands and knees mopping up the rest of his matcha latte. He spills it about sixty percent of the time, so he offers her a grateful smile when she sets a fresh one down on his desk.

“I just had a feeling,” she says.

“Thanks, Rey.”

She nods and heads for her own office—the only other private one besides Han’s. As Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation, Rey oversees a lot of important issues in Pawnee. Really, Han passes most of his work off to her, content to read Hemingway or drink whiskey in his office. She doesn’t mind, though. Rey likes to keep busy.

And she has a feeling that today will be a very busy day. The State is sending down two auditors to help with the town budget. This can only lead to bad things: slashes, cutbacks, layoffs. In short, she’s preparing for all out war.

After settling in and going through about a dozen reports that all need her signature, Rey realizes it’s close to lunch time. The auditors won’t be in until after 2:00, and she has a lunch date with her best friend. 

Finn Perkins waltzed into her life while trying to get the local government to take action regarding the pit behind his house, which his boyfriend at the time, Poe Dameron, had fallen into. Poe had broken both his legs in the process which led to Finn becoming an advocate for the filling of the pit at the town hall meetings.

Rey took an instant liking to him and they’ve been best buds ever since. Finn is a nurse at Pawnee hospital—a damn good one at that—so she’s always excited when he makes time in his schedule to have lunch with her.

* * *

Finn smooths out a wrinkle in his scrubs just as he sees Rey walk in the door. Rian’s Diner is packed with the usual lunch crowd, but their booth is reserved for them as always because Rey is Rian’s favorite customer. Finn estimates that about twenty percent of her paycheck goes straight to waffles.

“Hi!” Her cheeks are flushed from the walk over and her freckles stand out more. For a hot second after they met, Finn thought he might have a crush on Rey, but now she’s more like a sister to him, and he’d protect her with his life.

“Hey there!” He takes a sip of his water as she gets settled in.

Rey beams as Rian comes over personally to take their orders. This diner has been in his family for years and is practically a Pawnee institution by now. Finn orders a BLT and soup of the day, but when Rian looks at Rey, he just says, “Same as usual?”

“You know me so well.” She grins and turns her full attention back to Finn. “So how was the date?”

“Ugh, super awkward. She found out my last long term relationship was with a man and had all these inappropriate questions. I guess I forget how small-minded people in this town can be.”

Rey grabs his hand. “Oh Finn, you beautiful, powerful muskox. I will help you find love.”

He laughs because Rey always wants to take on the world—especially where her friends are concerned. “I’m fine, really. What about your love life, whatever happened to that police officer?”

“Kaz? Oh he moved away. Asked me to go with, but I’ll be honest—I think we were too much alike to make it work.”

Finn nods and his stomach grumbles as their food comes out. Kaydel, the friendliest waitress to ever exist, sets down a giant plate of waffles in front of Rey. They are practically covered in whipped cream. She looks at it for a moment before asking, “Where’s—”

Kaydel grins. “Rian sent out a whole can for you.” She sets the entire can of whipped cream down on the table.”

“You guys are too good to me.”

Finn isn’t sure how Rey stays so trim, but it must be her boundless energy—that and she probably has the metabolism of a hamster. He watches her attack her food for a few seconds before he digs into his.

* * *

It’s not that Poe Dameron hates shining shoes—he’s actually come to enjoy the simple manual labor of it all—it’s more that he’d rather be playing guitar. Or riding the motorcycle that he doesn’t have. Or single-handedly bringing down a terrorist organization. Having to actually work to earn money is the most ridiculous thing about being an adult.

Still, he’s thankful that Rey pulled a few strings and got him this gig. After the breakup with Finn and having to find his own place to live, it was a rough couple of months. He’s especially grateful that his Womp Rat bandmates, Tallie and Jess, offered him their spare room. Poe is a lucky man.

He finishes up the shoe shine on the rotund man sitting at his station. “All done, Unkar.”

“Thanks, boy.”

Poe is in his mid-thirties, but it’s always nice to hear Unkar call him  _ boy. _ “You’re welcome, sir.”

As his customer walks away, Poe feels a familiar, irritating presence come up behind him. “Womp Rat? What is that?”

Today, he’d brought some CDs to see if he could sell any to the shoe shine customers. Unkar didn’t bite. And no one else has even come around for a shoe shine. Poe swivels to see Hux with his ever-present sneer and striking ginger hair. There looks to be a few days worth of stubble there, too. It looks good on him, he thinks begrudgingly. 

“Womp Rat is my band and we’re fucking awesome.”

Hux snorts. “Probably some pseudo-garage, post-prog rock bull—”

Poe shoves a disc into his hands. “Just take one. If you hate it, don’t tell me.”

“I-okay.” Hux shoves the CD into his messenger bag—yes, the prick carries a messenger bag—and stands there a moment, rocking on his heels.

Poe, not one for subtlety of any kind, doesn’t understand why he hasn’t left yet. “Is there something else?”

“Yeah, a couple of us were going out for Happy Hour after work, and I wanted to see if you could join.”

“Wait—really?” Poe has always kind of thought Hux was cute, but he seemed too arrogant for everyone else. Maybe it was an act, though. 

“No, I’m inviting you sarcastically.” He rolls his eyes. “Yes, of course.” 

“Oh. Then I guess I’m game, but… I probably can only get one drink because I’m pretty broke.” He casts a forlorn glance at his tip jar, which at present is only a third full of mostly spare change and a few dollar bills.

Hux sighs and brushes some nonexistent dirt off the counter. “Your first one’s on me, Dameron. Just make sure you show.” Then he walks away without saying another word.

“Yes, sir.” Poe salutes his retreating form. This is an interesting development.

* * *

Ben Organa Solo is going to be sick. He’s not sure why he let Rose drive—he always gets carsick when he’s not the one at the wheel. But she was so excited when they left Indianapolis, and he always drives the rental car. A bureaucrat once told him his compassion would be his downfall, but this was not what he had in mind.

Though he supposes it isn’t just the motion sickness. He hasn’t been back to Pawnee in ages. To be honest, he shouldn’t have even taken this assignment, but when he saw how bad the financial situation was—he couldn’t resist. That, and something else inside told him to take it. He has a feeling there’s something new and exciting waiting for him in Pawnee. 

“Don’t forget you’re introducing me as Ben Organa. I don’t want people thinking I’m giving my father’s department special treatment.”

“Yes, I know, Ben. You’ve  _ literally _ told me a million times.”

Rose Tico and he have been partners for about two years now. She’s great, but her enthusiasm can be… a little much. She’s super into health and fitness, always pushing new vitamin supplements on him. She’s also always trying to set him up on dates, usually with short blondes because she decided that’s his type for some reason.

Ben doesn’t really have a type—in fact, he doesn’t really bother with women much at all. He’s always been a bit too awkward, too nerdy, too intense, too tall. Always too  _ something _ for someone. 

Which is why he’s incredibly good at his job. If Rose is a ray of sunshine, then he is the Grim Reaper. And that suits him just fine. He loves looking at data and telling people exactly where they’re hemorrhaging money. He doesn’t mind being the villain. Someone has to be. And the number of towns that are now  _ not _ bankrupt because of him keeps climbing. 

It’s 2:05pm when they pull into the parking lot for Pawnee City Hall. It’s a small town, mostly the same as he remembers, with maybe a new Paunch Burger since he’s last been here. Their meeting with the Deputy Director is at 2:30, so there’s ample time to visit the bathroom and make some introductions before then.

“Hi, everybody!” She points enthusiastically to herself. “Rose Tico,” she announces in a pleasant voice. Then her voice drops as she adds almost as an afterthought, “And this is Ben.” 

Ben stands off awkwardly to the side, arms crossed as Rose introduces herself to the team. She is bright and cheery and everyone seems to warm instantly to her.

He always lets Rose do the majority of the talking because people like her. Also the sullen, silent thing adds to his mystique. Not that it matters, but he’s learned it’s best to not make friends in these towns. When they make the rounds at the Parks Department, he’s surprised to see Luke. He had forgotten his uncle worked here, too.

“Ben!” Luke says, coming over to give him an uncomfortable hug.

“You know him?” Phasma asks, her voice dripping with derision.

Ben panics for a moment. He needs to maintain professionalism at least for one fucking day. “Old family friend.”

Luke quirks his eyebrow but says no more when he notices Han staring from the door of his office. His father looks a little older than the last time he saw him, maybe a few new wrinkles. But still the same no nonsense scoundrel he’s always been. Han, to his credit, has been forewarned about this and looks them both over. “Rose and—Ben, is it?”

Ben nods.

“Don’t care,” he deadpans before retreating into his office and slamming the door.

_ Well, that was expected.  _

Ben shakes hands with the rest of the employees: Mitaka, Phasma, Hux. He doesn’t particularly care for any of them, but that’s fine. “And where is Deputy Director Reyleigh Knope?”

Mitaka pipes up, “Probably the whiz palace.”

Hux rolls his eyes. “That’s what she calls the bathroom.”

Great, another backwater town local government grunt is exactly what he—

“No one calls me Reyleigh, it’s just Rey.” The accent throws him off a little. It’s not typical Midwest, but rather… slightly British? God is she from Eagleton? He cringes a little at the thought.

Ben turns to greet her and is promptly gobsmacked. Rey Knope is very pretty, her chestnut hair pulled back into a tight ponytail and her sensible navy pantsuit complimenting her lithe figure. She’s tall for a Pawneean, with sunkissed skin and a smattering of freckles across her face. He reaches out to shake her hand and tries not to be affected by how small it is in his own. “Nice to meet you, Rey.”

* * *

She hates him and his snooty face, with his snooty nose, and snooty moles, and snooty—well, no, his eyes are actually pretty nice. But he’s a jerk, she can already tell. A jerk who will bring about the death and destruction of everything she loves.

_ Unacceptable.  _ “Yes, well, I wish I could say the same,” Rey says, breaking off their handshake and ignoring how warm his hand is.

“Oh, okay.” Ben straightens up to his full height and he’s so tall. Like, obscenely tall. He may as well be a tree.

The woman beside him, who Rey finally notices is standing there, looks back and forth between them. “Well, I’m Rose Tico, lovely to meet you.”

Rey shakes her hand and is instantly warmed by her wide smile. “Likewise.”

“Well, I’m going to go meet with some of the other departments,” Rose says. “But I leave you in Ben’s very capable hands.”

Rey scoffs and looks at him again. 

Ben lifts an eyebrow, but wisely says nothing. It’s almost as if he’s relishing her hatred. God, he’s annoying. “Shall we have our meeting, then?”

“We shall,” she barks, exiting the room first so he has to follow her. Rey isn’t even sure why this man is already getting under her skin so much, but he is and she can’t seem to shake it.

They take a seat in the conference room just down the hall, and Rey—unable to shrug off her normal hospitality offers him some water.

“No, thanks.”

“Suit yourself,” she quips as she pours herself a big glass and proceeds to down a third of the glass while he’s setting up.

Ben pulls out a laptop and asks, “Where do you think your department could cut back? Why don’t we start with staff—how about Luke Skywalker?”

Rey gasps. “Luke is a national treasure and an invaluable asset to our team. If you fire him, there would be a revolt.”

Ben rolls his eyes and drones on about how her department has too many workers, and there are too many projects, but Rey’s vision starts to go red. When he mentions that the town budget needs to be slashed across all departments by at least forty percent, she swears there’s steam coming out of her ears. All she can see are hardworking people with families losing their jobs, beloved parks losing funding. He finishes his awful speech, and she shoots up from the table.

“I’m sorry, are you saying we have to layoff a bunch of staff and there’s no other options? There are people’s lives at stake here, sir!”

“Look, Rey,” he starts calmly—so calmly, in fact, that she wants to shake him. “I know this can be a lot of information at once, but with all due respect, I didn’t create this mess. Your government did.”

“Well, with all due respect, I think you’re an ass!” she retorts. Her chest is still heaving, as upset as she is, and she fixes him with her most heated stare.

“Okay, you know what? I’ll just get all the information I need from the spreadsheets. We’re done here.” It’s the first time she’s seen him take charge and for a moment, it shuts her up.

But Rey loves this town, and she’ll do anything to protect it. Including finding ways to eke out a few extra salaries without firing anyone. “Well, if you don’t mind, I think I’ll come up with a plan of my own and bring it back for your perusal.” She storms out of the conference room.

* * *

“So it went well, I take it.” Rose accosts Ben as soon as he enters their temporary office. She likes Rey Knope already—the woman seems tenacious. Ben is stoic as he places his things down on his desk. Well, more stoic than usual.

He finishes arranging the area and sits down. “They always hate me, but I have to say, she’s the first one to do it so quickly and… passionately.” Ben looks almost in awe, which is something Rose isn’t used to in their two years of working together.

“Really? She seemed so nice.”

“Yeah, to you. I thought she was going to stab me with a letter opener.”

Rose almost laughs, but resists the urge. She decides to call it a day and go for a run, just something short—maybe a quick 15k to get a feel for the town. “You gonna be okay, buddy?” she asks Ben before she goes.

He’s a bit of a loner, and she worries about him sometimes. It’s why she used to try setting him up on dates, but those rarely turned out well, so eventually she stopped trying.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” he says as he packs up his equipment. “I guess I’ll see you around the hotel later.”

“Definitely. Maybe we can do drinks or something.” They both have rooms at the extended stay in the heart of town. This assignment is only for three weeks, but they have been known to get an extension when needed.

As Rose is leaving the building to go for her run, Mitaka stops her. “Hey, a bunch of us are going to Happy Hour tonight, if you want to join.”

“Sure! I’ll let Ben know, too.”

“Oh, yeah… that’s cool.” Mitaka shrugs and walks over to his Mini Cooper.

Rose smiles as she jogs onto the sidewalk. This is going to be fun.

* * *

Rey knows everyone is going out for drinks tonight. She’s been invited, but she’s still so upset from her budget meeting with Ben. She texts Finn to see if he’s free. When he says he can go, she decides to have a little fun. She could use a drink after the day she’s had. Besides, she already has the new plan for reduced spending all typed up and ready to go. 

So unless she wants to spend the night baking or rewriting her acceptance speech for when she eventually becomes President, there’s nothing else for her to do.

They start with shots. She’s not sure why (though maybe it has something to do with the way Finn sees Poe flirting with Hux in the corner). After two tequilas with lime and salt, Rey is feeling pretty good. So good, in fact, she announces, “We need beer!”

Finn smiles. “You come up with the best ideas, ever. Like, seriously. You’re the smartest person in this room, Rey.”

“I know,” she nearly shouts as she rises from their booth and sidles up to the bar. 

The bartender, Tallie, is one of the members of Poe’s band, Rat-something. Rey helped her with the liquor license when this place opened so she usually will pass her a free drink or two. “More tequila?” Tallie asks.

“No, two Upland Wheats, please.” Rey knows Finn would be just as content with Bud Light or PBR, but she prefers the local drafts. At least, until she’s too drunk to tell the difference.

She collects the glasses and heads back to Finn where they toast to Rey’s reduced spending plan. She’s got about half the glass gone when she sees  _ him _ across the bar.  _ Who even invited him anyway? _ “Oh shit, here he comes.”

Finn looks up. “Who? The evil budget overlord?”

“Yes, evil Ben—why don’t I know his last name? Okay, he’s coming. Do I look professional?”

Finn can only nod as Ben has already reached the table and Rey has her fake smile plastered on. He attempts something like a smile as he approaches. “Hey, how’s it going?”

“Fine, no thanks to you.” Rey pouts into her half full glass.

“I’m sorry if we got off on the wrong foot earlier,” Ben offers.

But she takes his olive branch and snaps it in half. “Look, Ben. You’re evil and no one wants you here. So why don’t you just leave, you stupid jerkface.” She can feel the words sounding wrong as they come out, but the filter she’d usually run them through is gone. Thanks, alcohol.

“Okay, I can take a hint.” His rather large hand holds his beer bottle (Stella Artois, she notes) with two fingers and his other is raised in defense as he backs away.

As soon as he’s out of earshot, Finn leans forward. “Rey, that was  _ so _ professional.”

“Thank you,” she croons as she finishes the rest of her beer and goes for another.

“By the way, who’s that chick with evil Ben?” Finn asks when she returns with another round.

“Oh that’s his partner, Rose.”

Finn looks her up and down. “She’s pretty cute.”

Rey nods. “Oh she’s lovely. It’s Ben that’s the ass.” If she were sober, she might take note of her best friend’s interest and file it away for later. But Rey just gives Ben the evil eye from across the room and takes another swig of beer.

* * *

Rey is a feisty drunk. Well, she’s got a lot of spirit sober, too, so Ben isn’t exactly sure  _ how _ he knows she’s inebriated, but he can tell. The alcohol has given her a nice flush to her freckled cheeks, he can’t help but think, even as she’s yelling at him and he flees his desperate attempt to make peace.

He’s going to finish this beer—only his second—and then go back to the hotel. He’s not much for socializing anyway. Though Rose seems to be having a grand time. He’s caught her looking at Rey’s friend several times. At least, he thinks the man is just a friend. She didn’t get around to introducing them.

Speaking of, she’s staring at him again. She has pure hatred in her eyes, but for some reason he finds it almost endearing. He shivers, shifting his gaze to something else. This woman has gotten under his skin already.

The next morning, he heads into City Hall, bracing himself for whatever fresh hell Rey Knope has cooked up for him today. When he enters his office, she’s already there waiting. Her countenance is not as chipper as he might’ve expected, and he thinks it has to do with her alcohol consumption the night before.

She sips her large coffee like her life depends on it. “I brought you a coffee,” she mutters.

His eyebrows raise as he takes a seat and grabs the cup. “Thanks. It’s not poisoned, is it?”

“Fresh out of belladonna, I’m afraid. Also, I’m sorry I was a jerk to you last night.”

An amused grin threatens to tug at his lips, but he pushes it away. “You certainly were colorful.”

“Please. I was a bitch and not very professional. Anyway, I came to drop off my proposal for reduced spending. I do hope you’ll look it over with an open mind and we can meet again to discuss?”

He nods and takes the binder—yes, binder with color coded tabs—from her. It is big. “Well, this looks thorough.”

“Okay then.” She stands and looks a bit wobbly for a moment before she regains composure and walks out.

Ben takes the time to review Rey’s proposal. She has a lot of good ideas. And many are actually quite feasible. He’s impressed. He decides to see if she is free for lunch so he can discuss several of them with her. 

He walks down the long corridor to the Parks Department and finds her office is open. She’s seated at her desk, a pen sticking out of the bun in her hair. It’s an unusual hairstyle, three buns in a vertical column. It suits her, though. Today, she’s wearing a tailored polka dotted dress, less severe than the pantsuit from yesterday. 

She really is very pretty.

“Hey,” he announces himself.

“Hey,” she echoes, looking less annoyed than he thought she’d be.

“Do you want to grab lunch to go over some of this?” He lifts the binder in illustration.

“Sure.” She grabs her things and follows him. 

As they’re walking through the rest of the department, Han pokes his head out of his office. “Hux I thought I told you not to let any calls go through. Please tell me why my phone was just ringing.”

“Oh, um. I was busy plotting the assassination of an enemy.” The ginger looks up from what is clearly obituaries from the local newspaper and smirks.

“I suppose that’s acceptable,” Han says. Just don’t let it happen again. But as his eyes roam the office, he must momentarily forget that there’s protocol to be followed because he says, “Hey, Ben.”

Ben also forgets, so caught off guard by Rey’s sudden lack of hostility, that he responds, “Hey, Dad.” Then he freezes. 

He watches as Rey goes still beside him, looking back and forth between him and Han. “Wait a second.  _ You’re _ Han Solo’s son?”

Ben groans as all the eyes in the office turn to him. This was not how he wanted people to find out. He shrugs in an action that mimics his father. “Apparently.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a friend coming into town next week (Galentine's Day week!), so I hope to update this the week after that.


	2. Flu Season

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY ACTUAL BDAY, ROOMIE!
> 
> And Happy (early?) Galentine's Day to everyone else! Thank you [JenfysNest](https://twitter.com/ancientcityjenn) for looking over this in such a timely fashion-- you are a noble and majestic land mermaid!
> 
> My personal Ann Perkins is coming into town this weekend, so this won't be getting updated for at least a week.

Over the next few days Rey is stunned by how much Ben Solo reminds her of his father. She should have put it together right away, she thinks. The subtle dry humor, the mannerisms, hell—they even look alike. Her admiration and respect for Han runs deep. So deep, that it inadvertently endears Ben to her a little bit just by virtue of being related to the man.

The main difference between Han and Ben is that Ben is a total nerd. He’s into things like Star Trek, Dungeons & Dragons, and long books by dudes whose names are mostly initials. Whereas Han cares more about hiking, flying, or shooting things.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” she finally asks as they stroll into the courtyard together. They’ve taken to doing this after meetings if there are things that still need to be discussed, but they have to give the room up for sanitation or whoever signs up for it.

“I didn’t want anyone to think I was giving my father’s department special treatment.” His dark eyes focus on the ground. “Not like we have the best relationship to begin with.”

She wants to pry but decides she can unpack that later. “Shouldn’t they have sent a different auditor?”

Now Ben smiles, and it strikes Rey that he’s actually kind of cute when he isn’t being a dick. “Well, that’s the problem. Pawnee is in a really bad way and Rose and I? We’re kind of the best team the state’s got.”

“Not to toot your own horn or anything.” She playfully nudges his arm with her elbow.

“Of course not.”

“Well, I’ve got a meeting in fifteen minutes.” Rey gestures in the way she’s going.

“Want me to walk with you?”

She’s a little taken aback by his offer. Though they have been getting along a little better, especially since she stopped calling him “jerkface,” Rey wouldn’t say that she and Ben are exactly friends yet. “Okay, if you want.”

He gives a slight nod and walks beside her through the double glass doors down the corridor. Ben is tall—maybe an inch or two taller than Han, who already dwarfs Rey by quite a bit, though Rey isn’t short.  _ It’s like walking next to Bigfoot, _ she thinks with a smirk. Ben is probably too boring to believe in Bigfoot, though. He believes in the power of spreadsheets.

They reach the room where she has her meeting and she marvels how quickly the walk went, even though they didn’t say anything.

He shifts on his heels. “So I’ll see you around, Rey?”

“Yeah, sounds good. Thanks for walking with me.”

He shrugs, the buttons on his plaid shirt straining against his large chest.  _ Hmm, that’s interesting. _ “No prob.”

Rey turns to head into her meeting, wondering why she feels flushed all of a sudden.

* * *

Armitage Hux never gets sick. He likes to think that his attitude alone wards off most diseases. But somehow, he has contracted the flu. The bloody flu! He phones into work, letting Han know he’s ill enough to go to the hospital and might be out a couple days. He’s dehydrated and wan and—now who will play little petty pranks on Dameron while he’s shining shoes?

He laments his poor luck as he heads to the hospital. It gets worse when the nurse assigned to him turns out to be Finn Perkins, Rey’s best friend and Poe’s ex.  _ Great. _

“I see they’re just letting anyone become a nurse these days,” he sneers at Finn.

“Yup, didn’t have to go to school or anything—isn’t that great?” His saccharine smile drives Hux nuts. But what actually drives him nuts is the thought that Poe might still be hung up on this loser. Poe, the beautiful and delightful moron, who Hux would like to torment endlessly… and possibly do other things with, too.

“Just, make me better, Perkins.”

“Sure thing. First things first, we gotta get you hydrated.” He holds up an IV bag and hangs it in place. “See this giant needle? I’m going to jam it in the back of your hand.”

“Lovely.”

Yes, being sick is the fucking worst.

* * *

Han Solo couldn’t care less about his job most days, but Armitage Hux is a damn fine assistant. He’s even more apathetic than Han and always either intentionally not answering the calls or is unreasonably mean to the person on the other line—and invaluable trait, really. God forbid he have to take his  _ own _ calls on any given day.

It kills him to hear that the poor sap is out with the flu. Right now, he needs someone either as cold-hearted as Hux, or in lieu of that, someone just completely inept.

“Hey Han! Want a shoeshine?”

Ah yes, Poe Dameron. He’ll do swimmingly. “I’ve got something better for you, son. How would you like to do Hux’s job for a day?”

“Why, where is he?”

Han isn’t sure why Hux didn’t want Poe to know where he was, but it was something he’d specified when he called in. “Uh, I gave him the day off.”

“Oh okay.”

Han takes Dameron into the office and sets him up at Hux’s usual desk. “Just answer any phone calls you get and for the love of all that’s holy, don’t transfer any to me.”

“You got it, boss.”

Han walks back into his office, hoping for the best. As he’s closing the door, Poe tries to answer a call and accidentally hangs up on the person.  _ Excellent. _

* * *

Ben is… mildly confused. It’s upsetting, if he’s being honest. He isn’t sure what possessed him to walk Rey to her meeting. And he just tuned out half of what Rose was saying—though he normally does tune her out when she goes off on tangents about healthy living and whole thirty and all that other bullshit.

“Ben? Hello? I was asking for your opinion.”

_ Shit. Right.  _ “Sorry, Rose. On what?”

“Do you think I should wait to do my run until after the Parks meeting? Or do you think it’ll rain?”

_ Glad it wasn’t something important. _ “I think if you go now, you might be all sweaty for the meeting—and there’s really no proper shower on City Hall property, so...” he trails off, hoping she’ll get the point.

“Right. Good thinking, Ben. I knew I could count on you. Also I hear some people around are getting sick, so I shouldn’t tempt fate.” She grabs a bottle off her desk and takes a giant pill, probably some insane combination of vitamins he didn’t know existed.

Ben returns to his laptop, looking at the numbers for the past quarter. Rey’s plan is good, but she also staked her entire department on whether they could come up with a plan to generate revenue over the next several weeks. If they don’t bring enough in to save Parks and Rec, he’ll have no choice but to recommend the whole department be axed. He really doesn’t want to do that.

Funny, he’s never cared this much about it before.

* * *

Phasma is a relatively simple woman. She likes good booze, strong men (and occasionally women), and the finer things in life. She drives a Mercedes Benz and keeps it in immaculate condition. She towers over most people, but still wears heels for the intimidation factor. 

She’s also a bit of a social media influencer—but nothing schticky like makeup routines or inspirational quotes. It’s her real estate Instagram that has so many followers. At first glance, government work would seem like a terrible choice for a woman of her taste, but it’s easy and the benefits are great. Plus it leaves her plenty of time for her numerous side hustles.

Also, she would rarely admit this out loud, but working with Rey is actually inspiring. The woman is a go-getter. She never backs down from a challenge and faces everything head on with a tenacity that even Phasma finds impressive.

Which is why she isn’t surprised when Rey pulls an amazing idea seemingly out of her ass and slaps it on the table in front of everyone present—including the two hacks from Indianapolis. The Rose Tico chick is okay, kinda cute even. But Ben Solo, especially now that she knows he’s Han’s son—she’s not a fan. There’s just something irksome about him.

“We’re bringing the Harvest Festival back, bitches!” Rey flops a big binder down onto the table. Inside, there’s pictures of Harvest Festivals from years past. “This—this is the heart of Pawnee. People used to come from all over the state to attend, and I think if we brought it back, we could generate more than enough revenue to cover the Parks budget for the year.”

Everyone seems to perk up at the idea, soft murmuring starting. Phasma remains quiet.

“And what would that entail?” Ben asks, clearly intrigued. Phasma eyes the way he seems to be sizing Rey up.

“We’d get local businesses to pledge their services for free, it’s good advertising for them. There would be food and rides and a corn maze. In a word? Magical.”

Rose has a delighted grin on her face. “That is  _ literally _ the best idea I’ve ever heard.”

“I’ll admit, it’s good,” Ben says, eyes sparkling. Is it just Phasma, or does Rey seem to light up at his praise? “Let’s put together a presentation for the Chamber of Commerce and we can see what local businesses are interested in participating.”

“Okay!” Rey readily agrees. Phasma can practically see the wheels in her brain already turning.

Phasma watches as Ben turns to leave before flashing one last look at Rey over his shoulder. She sits back in her seat and starts to smirk.  _ Oh, this is going to be interesting. _

* * *

Rose is a bit panicked. She’s got a giant bottle of green juice on her desk and has been taking vitamins left and right. But still—she can feel it coming. The germs are all around. Han’s assistant is out again today, still presumably in the hospital with the flu. To make matters worse, several employees from other departments have also caught it.

And Rey was looking a bit pale this morning.

“Nope, I can’t work in these conditions,” she announces suddenly, wrapping her scarf tightly around her face to avoid breathing in the contaminated air.

Ben looks up from his desk. “What?”

“My body is a microchip, Ben. One speck of dust and the whole thing is compromised.”

“O—kay,” he intones as she breezes out of the office.

Maybe a quick walk through the courtyard for some sunshine will do her body good. She speeds through the hall, looking to make a quick exit and doesn’t look around the corner well enough because—

“Oof!” Rey collides with her and then promptly sneezes on her scarf. “Sorry.”

Rose is aghast. “Are you—are you sick?”

Rey looks like she might be sweating, but brushes her off. “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s just allergies. I can’t be sick. Ben and I have that important meeting with the Chamber of Commerce later.”

Rose just nods and vacates Rey’s presence as quickly as possible. Maybe she’ll just take a quick jog to the health store. She could use some ginger tea. Except, she only craves ginger tea when she’s about to be sick.

_ Oh no, _ she thinks.  _ The microchip has been compromised. _

* * *

Rey’s head feels fuzzy, like she can’t think clearly. But she has to be on point because she and Ben have that important meeting with the Chamber of Commerce this afternoon. Suddenly her office is freezing—how did it get so cold in here?

She shrugs on her winter coat and scarf and cranks up the heat.  _ Much better. _

She can hear Poe in the other part of the office, still covering for Hux while he’s in the hospital. He and Han are talking about where to go for lunch—something about the best way to eat meat—and she bangs her head down on the desk.

She doesn’t mean to fall asleep.

“Are you okay?” It’s big dumb Ben standing in her doorway, looking every bit like a nerd dream in his plaid shirt and khakis, hands shoved deep into his pockets. He always looks like he’s uncomfortable.

She blinks at him several times. “Yes, why?”

“It’s like a thousand degrees in here. Rey, are you sick?” He comes closer and rests the back of his hand against her forehead. She likes his hands, they’re so big… and currently cool. “Okay, you’re burning up. You need to go home.”

“But I need to get ready for the chamber of secrets.”

“Commerce,” he corrects her.

“What did I say?”

He shrugs it off. “Do you have a doctor we can call at least?”

“Finn is my doctor. And he’s the best most beautiful nurse in the world.” She smiles up at him. He really is very tall.

“Alright,” he pulls her arm so she’s forced to stand up. “Let’s get you to Finn then.”

“Fine,” Rey demures.

Poe is clicking away at his computer. “Rey, I typed your symptoms into the search bar and it says you could have network connectivity issues.”

She doesn’t miss the way Ben rolls his eyes.

As they’re walking, she feels the temperature rise. “Ugh, now I’m hot,” she complains, stripping off her coat.

“Yeah, that would be the fever,” Ben deadpans, his hand still on her arm. He’s being so nice. 

She follows him out the door.

* * *

“Oh hi,” Finn says. He hadn’t expected to see Rose here—she seemed the picture of health when Rey introduced them. In fact, he’d been so intimidated by her, he couldn’t muster up the nerve to ask her out. She’s so pretty and smart and successful.  _ Down, boy. _

“My microchip has been compromised,” she laments.

“Uh huh.” He starts going through the normal checkpoints.

“It’s just that I rarely get sick, so when I do it’s really bad. I need you to replenish my body with electrolytes after every involuntary loss of fluids.” She has a sheen of sweat on her face and her hair is sticking to her skin.

Finn smiles. Nothing to make someone seem less scary than the flu. “Of course.”

He sets up Rose with the proper meds and an IV. Maybe once she gets better, he’ll see if she wants to get a drink. He heads back out as he has a new patient to check on.

“Rey?”

“Finn, you beautiful tropical fish! Make me better.”

That guy Ben that Finn thought Rey hated is with her, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else in the entire world. “She got the flu?”

“Yup. She might be dehydrated—she’s gone a little loopy.” He turns a serious eye to Rey. “Okay, I’m going to leave now. I need to prep for the commerce meeting.”

“No, Ben. I can make it! Let them give me some meds, and I’ll be right there.”

“I don’t know why you don’t trust me. I’ve done this kind of thing before.”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you—I just don’t have faith in you.” She sticks her lower lip out in an exaggerated pout.

“Great.” He turns to Finn. “Well, she’s all yours, buddy,” he says as he leaves.

Finn comes over and starts checking Rey’s vitals. “Thought you hated that guy.”

She shrugs. “He’s not so bad, I guess. Did you know he’s Han’s son?”

“Han Solo? Wow.”

“I know. They’re so different, yet so alike.”

Finn smiles at his best friend. “Let’s get you some drugs, shall we?”

Rey nods. “Yes please.”

After a full day of checking on flu-ridden patients, Finn can’t wait for the end of his shift. He’s going to take a long bath and have some wine. He has to make his last round, though, so he checks on Hux first—best to get it out of the way.

“How are you feeling, Armie?”

“You know I hate it when people use any iteration of my first name.”

Finn smiles. “I know.”

“Well, if you must know, I need some more medicine.”

“But you just had some. I can’t give you more, sorry. The dosage is too strong.”

“I didn’t take it. Rey came in here and stole it and told me not to tell you.”

_ Oh shit. _ That does sound like Rey. “Okay. Hang on—I’ll send someone in with more.”

Finn rushes to Rose’s room just in case. She’s lying on her side, looking pitiful. His heart hurts a little bit. “Rose, have you seen Rey?”

“I had a dream that she flew in here, stole my meds, and left through that hole in the wall.”

Finn looks around. “So, the door?”

“Also I threw up somewhere in this room, but I don’t remember where.” She looks around. “You might want to check that drawer.”

Finn sighs. He might skip the wine and go straight for scotch.

* * *

Ben reviews his notes for the umpteenth time. He knows he isn’t the best public speaker, but he is adequate. He’ll be able to detail the finer points to all the businesses present—he really excels at details. Now if they wanted him to tell a joke or be personable, that’s another thing.

He is just closing his portfolio when Rey breezes into the building where they’re holding the meeting. It’s a local hotel and they’ve taken over one of the conference rooms in order to hold all the businesses present.

“Ben Solo!” she booms. “It’s so good to see you.” She holds her hand out for him to shake.

He does, and notes that she is still rather clammy. He can also see the hospital gown poking out of her bag. She has changed back into her olive pencil skirt and printed blouse. Even though she’s slightly disheveled, she still is stunning. It’s almost annoying. “You too, Rey. Shouldn’t you be at the hospital?”

“Nonsense, I’m right as rain. Ready for this meeting!” Then she drops her voice a bit. “Could I borrow some money for the cab I took over here?”

“Sure.” He reaches for his wallet. “How much do you need?”

“I’m not sure. When I looked at the meter, it was Egyptian hieroglyphics. Do you know the exchange rate?”

_ Fuck, she’s really in poor shape. _ “Okay, maybe we should get you back to the hospital.” He goes to touch her arm, and she wrenches herself away.

“No, Ben. I have to do this.”

“Really, Rey—I can handle it.”

“It’s not your career on the line, it’s mine! I have staked my reputation on getting us out of this mess, and it needs to be me.”

He sees the flare of passion in her eyes—and sure it might be laced with crazy, along with some fairly strong flu medication—but how can he say no to that? “Okay,” he concedes and watches as she staggers up to the podium.

This is either going to be amazing or a total disaster, but he can’t look away. He can see the shine on her forehead as she stands under the spotlight, but then she is smiling as she starts her speech.

“Good afternoon. Each and every one of you just by being here has already made history.” Her speech is eloquent and moving and expertly delivered. She gets through the whole thing without so much as an “um.”

Ben is awestruck. He feels his jaw fall open and slowly pushes it closed as she finishes to thunderous applause. He knew Rey was different, special. But this? She’s in a whole other league. Then she opens the floor to questions. Some older man from the crowd asks about tax incentives.

“That’s a great question,” Rey responds. “And I would counter with another question, which is why is half of your face all swirly?”

“Okay,” Ben booms as he runs up and takes the mic from her. “Rey has to leave, unfortunately, but you can direct any questions to me.”

She smiles at him and leans into the mic once more. “Give it up for Keanu Reeves, everyone!”

“Let’s get you back to the hospital,” he murmurs into her ear. She shivers, but he chalks it up to her flu symptoms.

* * *

When Rey wakes up, she vaguely remembers breaking out of the hospital to give her speech before the Chamber of Commerce. She can only hope she didn’t embarrass herself too badly. She sweeps her gaze over the IV that’s now re-hydrating her system.

Ben had been great. He saw her safely back to the hospital when she could barely tell which way was up. It had been dumb of her to take extra medicine and check herself out. She is definitely feeling it now, the exhaustion making her bones feel like lead.

“How’s my favorite patient?” Finn strides into the room to check on her.

She offers him a weak smile. “I’ve been better.”

“I’ll bet. You’re lucky that Ben brought you right back here after that meeting. That was dangerous, Rey.” He’s frowning slightly in that way that means he’s disappointed in her. It’s rare, so it hurts more.

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“Well, you’re doing better now, which is all I could ask for. You know,” he starts to grin. “I think Ben likes you.”

“Like as in—?” She stops talking when she sees Finn’s smirk. “No, impossible. I was such a bitch to him when he first got here.”

Finn chuckles. “Maybe he likes that.”

“Oh stop. I’m sure you’re seeing things.”

“I don’t know, Rey. He seemed pretty worried about you.”

She blushes and doesn’t say anything else, afraid of where this train of thought could lead.

There’s a knock on the open door and they both turn to see Ben Solo, standing with his arms full. 

“Speak of the devil,” Finn says. “I’ll just be out of your hair, then.” He winks as he leaves the room, and Rey wants to sink into her pillows.

“Hey,” Ben says awkwardly. “I brought waffles from Rian’s and chicken soup from me.”

“Waffles!” she answers brightly, reaching out to take the styrofoam box from him.

“Okay, I’ll just put this here for later. It’s an Organa family recipe. Made it myself.”

Rey barely hears him over the giant mouthful of waffles she’s crunching. She swallows and grins. “Thank you, Ben.”

He shrugs. God, he really is cute. “No problem. You were amazing up there. We well exceeded your minimum number of businesses to participate.”

“Really?” She can’t help but beam at that. 

“Really.” He smiles, and she thinks he should do that more often. Her stomach does a little flip that she’s pretty sure has nothing to do with the waffle. Damn Finn—why did he have to put this in her head?

“Well, thanks for all your help.”

“Anytime.” He shoves his hands in his pockets and rocks back on his heels, just watching her devour the waffle for a moment. “Right, well I’ll just be out of your hair. Feel better, Rey.”

“Bye,” she mumbles around another bite as she watches him leave. His pants are stretched tight across his ass, and she can’t help but appreciate the shape of it. He is a fine specimen for sure, but she really doesn’t have time for that now.

Then she looks over and sees the chicken soup that he  _ made  _ for her, sitting on the side table. Yeah, this could be a problem.


	3. Treat Yo Self

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, sorry it's been--checks notes--FIVE MONTHS. Geez. This chapter is unbeta'ed so all mistakes are mine. ^_^

Dopheld Mitaka is a simple man. He likes the finer things in life and makes no apologies for it. Sure, he’s up to his ears in credit card debt and last weekend wound up footing the bill for seven different women’s drinks at the Starkiller Lounge, but player’s gotta play, right?

He loses his cool for no one… except maybe his idol, James Franco.

Rey is going on about details for the Harvest Festival—who cares, really—but then she says they landed a surprise guest. “Li’l Yoda!” she pronounces proudly to the room.

And Mitaka loses his shit—along with pretty much everyone else.

“What? Li’l Yoda?! How did you manage that?” Mitaka is wide eyed as the miniature horse’s handler brings him into City Hall for some reason. This could’ve been done in the courtyard, but he doesn’t even really care about his Louis Vuitton shoes right now.

Everyone is cooing and fawning over the small horse, whose mane is such an unusual shade of tan that it almost looks green in certain lights. He has big, adorable eyes and wiggles his horse ears as he neighs. It’s fucking adorable.

Then the human stick in the mud, Ben Solo, has to open his ridiculously large mouth. “I don’t get it. So it’s kind of a small horse?”

Rey gasps and clutches at the lapels of her very sensible pantsuit. God, Mitaka would give her such a makeover—tastefully slutty, nothing too major. Just enough to not have to ever see another pantsuit on her lithe body. “He’s only the most adorable mini horse to ever live, Ben.”

Even Han, who is usually the picture of stoicism has come out of his office, giggling like a little schoolboy. “I love Li’l Yoda!”

As Mitaka pets the soft fur of Li’l Yoda’s back, he notices the coat they’ve put over him. He thinks of the prime marketing space and sees dollar signs.  _ Maybe this Harvest Festival won’t suck after all. _

* * *

Rey takes a deep breath, inhaling the scent of fried food, hay, and dreams. She thinks for a moment that this is the happiest she’s ever been—seeing the fruits of her labor pay off so spectacularly. There are happy people playing games, children munching on cotton candy, and a gaggle of onlookers gathered around Li’l Yoda’s pen. She knew that mini horse would be the highlight of the whole thing.

She feels a familiar looming presence over her shoulder and turns to find Ben approaching. “I have to say, Rey. You’ve done an incredible job here.”

“Well, I couldn’t have done it without your help.” And it’s true, he’s been an invaluable resource over this past month or so as they got everything together for this event. She raises her hand for a high five.

He smiles and smacks her hand, but it makes her feel tingles all down her arm from their skin to skin contact. She’d be lying if she said she hasn’t grown more fond of Ben recently. As he’s reacclimated to life in Pawnee, he’s calmed down a lot. She can talk to him for hours, with the way his brilliant mind works. And of course, he’s easy on the eyes, too. Today he’s wearing a white button down shirt, sleeves rolled to the elbows to accommodate for the sunny weather. He has on navy slacks that accentuate his ass just right, and—yeah okay, maybe she has a little crush on him.

But it’s not like it can go anywhere. There’s only a few more weeks before he and Rose go back to Indianapolis.

“Did you hear anything I just said?” Ben raises an eyebrow at her—god, those whiskey eyes that she could just drown in.

“Um, of course, I was totally listening… but just as a refresher tell me again?”

He chuckles and shakes his head as he launches into ideas for their next budget-saving project.

* * *

“Look alive, Dameron!” Poe barely has time to duck and avoid the ball that Hux has thrown at his head.

“Hey, don’t lose those! I need them for the game,” Luke admonishes from behind the barrier. For some reason they let him run the game where you try to knock over all the bottles and win a giant stuffed—what is that, anyway? Some kind of sea cow? 

“I won’t!” Poe jogs to retrieve the ball and struts back over. “I’m gonna knock down all your bottles, old man.”

“You better,” Hux taunts. “I want that stuffed thala siren.”

“Oh, is that what those are? I’ll win you a million.” He smiles sweetly at Hux, whose cheeks promptly turn the same shade as his hair. As soon as he had recovered from the flu, Poe asked him out, unable to stand the mounting tension between them anymore. 

It’s going rather well so far, and he hopes to keep it that way. Lord knows he has the tendency to jump in half-assed and blow shit up. He had taken Finn for granted, he knows that now. He won’t do the same to Hux.

He puts everything he has into the throw and manages to knock down all the bottles. He’s momentarily shocked as most of these games are usually rigged—leave it to Luke Skywalker to not even set up the carnival game right.

“We have a winner!” Luke announces as he pulls down the giant stuffed animal and hands it to Hux who’s holding his hands out rather excitedly. 

He had actually thought Hux would’ve been too snobby for this kinda stuff, but seeing the smile on his face has made it all worth it. “Hey, you havin’ fun?” Poe asks.

“Yeah, I actually am.”

Poe wraps his arm around Hux’s shoulders. “Awesome sauce.”

* * *

Ben really shouldn’t be surprised that the Harvest Festival is such a success. He walks around enjoying a corn dog—one of the few guilty pleasures he’ll allow himself every once in a blue moon—and marvels at all the people having fun.

Of course he had done his fair share, but he has to admit, Rey Knope is truly an amazing woman. It’s getting harder and harder to deny his intense attraction to her. She’s smart, funny, and almost mind-numbingly gorgeous.  _ Seriously, _ he thinks,  _ a woman with a body like hers should be a professional athlete or something. _

“Hey, Son.” He’s jarred from his thoughts by a familiar voice.

“Hi, Dad.” He takes his last bite of corndog and tosses the stick into a nearby trash can.

“A corn dog, really? You’re not worried about the saturated fat?” Han raises an eyebrow.

Ben chuckles. “I do let loose on occasion. Where are you headed?”

“I’m off to get a turkey leg wrapped in bacon. They call it the Han Solo.”

“Of course they do.” He smirks.

“Look,” his father places a tentative hand on his shoulder. “I know we’ve had our differences in the past, but I’m really proud of what you’ve done here. This festival is something truly special.”

Ben shrugs. “It was mostly Rey—”

“Don’t you think I know that? I know how hard that girl works. But don’t diminish your role. You two make a good team.”

He smiles then, feeling his cheeks heat up. “Thanks.”

Han looks at him strangely before reaching up and tucking a lock of hair behind his ear.

Ben jumps away. “Hey! What are you doing?”

Han smirks. “Your ears are red—I knew it. You’re sweet on her, aren’t you?”

“What? You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Of course I do. I’m your father. Just be careful, Ben. Love and work rarely mix well.”

“Yeah, I remember. How  _ is _ mom, by the way?”

Han grunts and starts walking away. “You know I stay away from the library. Now outta my way before I get hangry.”

Ben holds his hands up in surrender, chuckling again. “Okay, okay.”

* * *

Rey finishes off her cotton candy and throws the paper tube into a nearby trash can. It’s the last day of the Harvest Festival and soon the pressure will be on to think of the next big project to save their town from bankruptcy. She decides to let future Rey deal with that and just bask in the glory of her success a little longer.

She passes by the medical tent and goes in to pay her favorite nurse a visit. Finn had been instrumental in getting a team of nurses to volunteer for shifts—which was absolutely necessary when Luke got trapped in the corn maze all day and had to be treated for dehydration.

“How’s the best nurse in the world?”

Finn looks up from where he’s putting a bandage on a young boy’s knee. “I’m good. How’s the best parks employee?”

She smiles and opens her mouth to show him her pastel tongue. “I just finished my third cotton candy today so I’m in the middle of a  _ major _ sugar rush.”

Finn laughs. “I’m going to have to strap you down and force feed you broccoli, aren’t I?”

Rey’s eyes widen, and she fakes a dash to the entrance of the tent. “You’ll never take me alive!”

The little boy eyes them both with apprehension as he leaves. “You guys are weird.”

“Thanks, Johnny,” Finn says. “Tell your mom I said hi.”

“His mom?” Rey quirks an eyebrow at him as soon as the boy is gone.

“Yeah we went out on one date. Nice enough, but no spark.”

“What’s stopping you from asking out Rose?”

He shrugs and starts tidying up his station. “Seems kinda pointless since she’s going back to Indianapolis.”

“Yeah, but you seem to like her—and I think she likes you.”

Finn pointedly ignores her, changing the subject. “What about you and Ben? You guys seem more chummy lately.”

This stymies her for a second. “Ben is—why would you ask? I don’t… I guess he is a man, yes. And we have been spending a lot of time together, but that doesn’t mean—I wouldn’t necessarily say—”

“Oh it’s like that, then.” Finn cuts her off and holds her by the shoulders. “You like him, don’t you?”

Rey steps into his arms and rests her chin on his shoulder. They’re nearly the same height, so Finn is perfect for friend hugs. “If I say yes, will you promise not to tell anyone?”

“Not a single soul.”

“Then yes, but I’m pretty sure it’s against the rules for us to date, anyway. So there’s no point. You at least have a shot with Rose.”

“Fine, you win.”

Rey pulls back, beaming. “You’ll ask her out?”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Good enough for me.” She smiles as she leaves the tent. It feels good to win.

* * *

“Hey, uh—Rose?” Ben stands awkwardly in the doorway, rubbing the back of his neck.

Rose looks up from where she’s steeping an oddly colored tea. “Ben! One of my all-time favorite people—what’s up?”

“Yeah so I was just remembering that policy you have about interoffice dating, and if it was in place here, too?”

“Oh yes, of course. But you know, it’s not just my policy, Ben—it’s the State’s. When supervisors get involved with subordinates, it can get pretty messy. We avoid legal action by having the policy in place.” She takes a sip of her tea and makes a weird face.

“What is that?”

“It’s a detox tea. Tastes terrible, but cleans you right out! Want some?” 

“Um, no thanks. But I appreciate it.” He stares at the floor, unsure of why this hurts so much. 

Rose smirks a little. “Why do you ask, anyway? Is there someone here in Pawnee you’re interested in?”

He lifts his head again, looking past her instead of making eye contact. Rose has a way of sniffing out lies. “Oh uh—no, just curious. Well, maybe… but it doesn’t matter.”  _ Not now, anyway. _

“Sorry, Ben. If it makes you feel any better, maybe you can call her up once we go back to Indianapolis.”

_ Yeah, sounds like a plan _ , he thinks glumly. Because long distance is so much fun.

* * *

Phasma often has better places to be. But not today. Today is a day she’s happy to be exactly where she is, at the Parks and Recreation Department in the City Hall building. Because today is—

“Treat yo self!” Mitaka sets down the box of highly decorated cupcakes in front of her, and they both grin like fools.

“The best day of the year,” she responds, finishing her earlier thought.

One day a year, she and Mitaka indulge themselves in every flight of fancy, every ill-advised purchase, and every decadent dessert they can think of. They call it treat yo self day, and it’s been a running tradition for several years now. Today’s plan is an extravagant sushi lunch at Maz Kanata’s followed by shucking off work and spending the rest of the day at the mall, where they will make their credit card companies very happy.

She pulls her Benz around at precisely noon and Mitaka hops in, Ray-Ban sunglasses perched on his pasty face. “Are you ready for the best treat yo self day yet?”

“Am I ever,” she says, pulling out of the parking lot. She slows down, however, as they pass one of the concrete benches that no one ever makes use of. Ben Solo sits all alone, eating a cup of noodles and looking supremely depressed.

“Mitaka, look at him.” She stops the car.

“No. Absolutely not, Phasma, he’ll harsh the whole vibe!”

“But he looks so sad. Even Han’s uptight son needs a little pampering.” She makes her pouty face that she hardly ever uses and knows she’s won.

“Fine,” Mitaka sighs in defeat. 

She rolls down the window. “Hey, Solo! Drop the soup and get your ass in the Benz.”

“Me?” He looks around as he rises. “Yeah, okay.”

* * *

Ben isn’t sure what Phasma and Mitaka’s game might be, but he is feeling a bit better. Spicy tuna was definitely a better option than the chicken flavored cup of noodles he had been eating when they showed up. Now they’re at the mall and though he laughs at their ridiculous antics—Mitaka just purchased a two hundred dollar scarf with foxes on it—he  _ is _ kinda having fun. And he’s definitely not thinking about Rey… or how he can’t be with her… or how she’d look beneath him, drenched in sweat.

Definitely not thinking about any of that.

“Aren’t you going to buy anything?” Mitaka asks after the tenth store.

Ben holds up his package of argyle socks. They weren’t cheap, and he’s been needing some new ones anyway. “I did.”

“Ugh, Phasma, he’s impossible!”

Phasma tucks a lock of her short blonde hair behind one ear and stares him down. She’s so intimidating, Ben immediately gulps. “The point of treat yo self day is to splurge on something you’ve been wanting but haven’t allowed yourself to buy. Like this new Coach bag I got myself. Red leather is hardly a practical choice.”

Ben nods. “Okay…”

“Tell me, Solo, if you could blow big money on one thing, what would it be?” She looks him over and turns to Mitaka.

Mitaka raises his eyebrows skeptically. “You’re going to make us regret this, aren’t you?”

And it hits Ben all at once. “Yup!” he responds and drags them to the costume store. 

Half Halloween shop/half cosplay resource, Suit Up is a haven for nerds and goths. Ben ignores the strange looks from the teens in colorful outfits and the way both Mitaka and Phasma seem to be visibly cringing as he combs through the racks to see if they have a Space Battles section. He’s long been a fan of the franchise and the villain in the new films has the coolest costume that he secretly thought he’d look awesome in.

“Found it,” he announces.

“Great,” Phasma says with a genuine smile. “Now try it on.”

“Who are you again?” Mitaka asks as Ben steps out of the changing room, clad head to toe in black armor, a bulky helmet obstructing his vision and a plastic laser sword at his hip.

“Rylo Ken—you know what? Never mind, this was a mistake.”

“Not so fast, Solo.” Phasma grabs him by the shoulder and turns him towards the mirror.

“I look ridiculous,” Ben says, regret starting to seep in.

“I think you look pretty badass.” Mitaka bites into a lavender macaron he bought earlier.

“More importantly,” Phasma begins. “How do you feel?”

Ben takes a deep breath and tries to channel the strength of Rylo Ken, fearless warrior. “I feel… good. Thanks, you guys. I really needed this. I  _ am _ going to treat myself.”

“That’s the spirit!” Mitaka says, clapping him on the back.

He wears the costume that night, eating dinner alone in his rented studio apartment. So he can’t ask Rey out, fine. At least he got to know Phasma and Mitaka a little better today.  _ Small victories, _ he thinks as he twirls the plastic laser sword.

**Author's Note:**

> If you have any suggestions for favorite quotes/jokes for me to try to work in to future chapters, let me know in the comments!


End file.
